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Sun Spire
Overview Sun Spire is the seat of government for Whitespires. The island is made from the ground in which old Whitespires used to inhabit. While most of the land was cleared to make the modern look and design of Sun Spire, the Pelor Sun Tree, the Woven Keep and Percy's Clock Tower remain as monuments to the old city and its inhabitants. The main purpose of Sun Spires is to keep those who govern the immense city within close proximity to each other and having clear present ways to get ahold of any part of the government. This spire is unique amongst the spires as it has mini districts that are devoted to each part of the council and therefore the government. Outside of Spire Lords, nearly every government worker lives on this spire. The Woven Stone District The main responsibilities of this district are to preside over higher civil justice, community unification and oversight of internal government. As the unofficial capital of The Alliance, the castle also holds much of the personnel that are responsible for governing The Alliance as a whole. This includes permanent residences for most of the Tal'dorei Council, even if they are not all present at any given time. This district is accessed through the Guardian's Cliffwalk and you must pass through two heavily guarded gates before reaching The Keep of Woven Stone. This is the only feature of this district, though the castle is massive. It rests above the rest of Sun Spire as the natural climb to the castle was kept and the cliff sides make it hard to reach without taking the Cliffwalk. Not to mention the absurd amount of securities in place to stop that particular ascent from happening. The original castle was already fairly large in its own right, however, over the last century and a half it has been expanded upon greatly. First, the castle itself was expanded; adding several wings and then the six spires were added to the castle for each of the branches of government. These spires eventually inspired the name for the new city that soared over the clouds. After Whitestone ascended and each of the branches of the chamber were given their own district, the spires were repurposed. Some of them house embassies while other house prominent members of the Tal'dorei Council while in the city and the rest serve a variety of functions for those under the purview of the Guardian of Woven Stone. One more notable feature in the castle itself is the Arbor Chamber. This used to be the throne room, but since it was no longer needed, it became a receiving room for the Guardian. This position has mostly been held by Vex'ahlia over the course of Whitespires history and after several attempted assassinations and various skirmishes in it's halls the room has taken an altogether different atmosphere. Due to Fenthras' abilities, more than a score of trees litter the chamber at impossible angles. They all have red veins running through their trunks and green leaves. Not many who have been in the chamber know these trees are from foes personally slain by Guardian Vex'ahlia, but for those who do this gives the room a much more menacing and threatening atmosphere. While a little eerie, the trees are actually very beautiful, especially given the right light coming in through the stain glass window in the back. The Grey Hunt District This district is accessed by it's main thoroughfare, the Mistress' Stalk. This district is responsible for diplomatic relations, indigenous dangers, and the questing guild. The headquarters of this district is called The Lodge and is unique amongst the districts because it actually holds two aspects of the government. The Quester's Guild was added to the Chamber after the Chamber's seven members and responsibilities had already been long established. So, technically the Guild is underneath the Mistress' responsibilities, but they nonetheless have a seat at the table. Both Mistress O'Sheer and Guildmaster Firesbane occupy a wing of The Lodge. The center of The Lodge is a large sitting room with a myriad of tables chairs and couches to suit anyone's needs. Most days it will be full of Hunters or Questers trading hearty tales and strong drinks. There is a large hearth that separates the floor to ceiling windows on the far side of The Lodge. The windows look out over the edge of Sun Spire giving a awe inspiring view of the sky or Elemental Plane of Air, depending on the day. In the hearth is always a large and roaring fire to welcome adventurers, new and old. Less welcoming, however are the four dragon heads that look menacingly over the crowd as they mingle, get paid, get drunk, or start new adventures. They are said to either be or at least resemble the dragons of the Chroma Conclave slain by Vox Machina. The noticeable exception being Thordak as his entire body is on display on the top of The Lodge. His mighty head overlooks the doorway and stairs leading up to the large wooden double doors. His front legs flank the doors with his claws dug deep into the foundation of the Lodge. His wings span far past the building's edges and his tail can be seen curving back and forth behind the hearth, if you're inside. Magic protects any interference or pranks to be done to any of the dragon relics, but they certainly set a certain tone for The Lodge, while also whispering a subtle yet unmistakeable promise. The rest of the district has temporary, but excellent housing for members of either part of The Lodge. It also sports a few taverns in case The Lodge doesn't have something you want. This district also houses diplomats, dignitaries and foreign persons of interest that don't get ambassador suites in The Keep of Woven Stone. Almost everyone from out of town that makes it off of Sky Spire makes it here, eventually. It also permanently houses the many people that keep The Lodge running along with a few odds and ends needed for any large operation. The Sunblessed District This district is accessed by the road known as the Steward's Guide. This district is responsible for overseeing farming, imported foods, goods, distribution of local goods, overall weave maintenance, and Whitespirian exports. Largely a overlooked and thankless district, Whitespires would simply not be able to function without the hard work and dedication of the Steward and his people. The headquarters of this districts is named the Storehouse of Gifts or the Storehouse for short. It's a simple and practical building that lives up to the expectations of something designed by ruthlessly efficient baureocrats . Most of the buildings in this district are clerical or housing for the upper tier management within the Steward's branch of the chamber. The rest of the work done by this branch is mostly done in the docks of Sky Spire, where large storehouse and sky ships are integral to keeping Whitespires afloat. The Wardship District The Wardship District is accessed by the street known as the Pale Lord's Patrol, which splits off into smaller "Patrols" dependent on what branch of the military resides there. The main purpose of this district can be simplified down to national security. While most of the energy of this district is focused on Whitespires as a city state, the fact that Whitespires is the unofficial capital of The Alliance comes up again. The Praetorium along with the Federation Branch are typically focused on issues concerning The Alliance at large and mobilizing and strategizing with all of The Alliance's assets and not just Whitespire's. This means al lot of the Alliances military minds reside in this district at least for part of the year. Sometimes lesser generals of other armies will stay on a permanent basis as a liaison for their own city state or town. The headquarters for this district is called the Praetorium. It mostly boils down to a large fortress that feels slightly unnecessary, but no one could convince them of that. It houses, amongst other things, the Pale Lord, his family, most of the foreign military generals and advisors, and Whitespire's elite military unit, Primus. The rest of the district is dedicated to luxuries for visiting officials, housing for high ranking veterans, and barracks for officers and generals of each branch of the military. The Bounty District The Bounty Districts is found along the Curator's Travel with the Trade Towers at its end. This district oversees commerce and trade. It's headquarters is called the Trade Towers which are two tall towers connected to one another in the center. This district echoes the Sunblessed District in many ways with a more economic interest. All large financial decisions run through this district and may find itself on the Curator's desk if important enough. If the Sunblessed District keeps the lights on and the citizens fed then The Bounty District is the other side of that coin, making sure Whitespires stays afloat financially. Everything you'd expect from a financial district can be found here as well as some housing for the upper executives. The Divine District This district is mostly devoted to the spiritually gifted members of the religious community. Most of the work of this aspect of the chamber is done on Soul Spire and the Keeper is known to spend just as much time there as in Sanctuary. However, specifically in the Divine District, only recognized clerics and paladins of most faiths are welcomed along the Keeper's Pilgrimage. The Divine District is devoted to recruiting, training, and preparing combat capable priests to fight the good fight. Not counting The Federation itself, there are many external threats that are only dealt with effectively through divine means. Whitespires has recognized this and doubled down in hopes of creating generations of holy warriors to fight the fights only they can win. While Sun Spire has not turned out the egregious numbers that the Federations have produced, they have made a respectable number of holy warriors over the years and have seen many catastrophes averted due to their diligence. Due to this, this district is mostly made up of living quarters, churches, and training areas for the creation of the next generation of clerics and paladins. Sanctuary itself is made up of the most powerful clerics and paladins all across Alliance territory. They stay here to monitor much of the continent through powerful divination spells and stay vigilant against any and all extra planar threats that may be imminent. Also, due to their readily available sending spells, Sanctuary has become a hub of communication across Tal'dorei and even all Exandria. If there is any large scale event or catastrophe all persons that need to know are informed within mere minutes. The denizens of Sanctuary are also responsible for coordinating any large scale divine troop movements as clerics and paladins are not under the purview of the Pale Lord. They only accompany armies as the Keeper sees fit. However, the Keeper has never before withheld their services from Alliance troop movements and sees it as their solemn duty to keep as many soldiers alive as possible during this age of tenuous borders and uneasy treaties. Another aspect of the Divine District is has many small shrines or even churches devoted to Lesser Gods not represented in Soul Spire. That is, as long as there is at least one living cleric or paladin of that god. As a result, it has become a place of inclusion and dissemination of ideas, faiths, and ideals. Lastly, Sanctuary is a looks like a shining silver temple. The temple is not devoted to any god, but rather to all good and neutral gods. Inside, it is so beautiful that many say it is to experience the divine all on its own. Countless artisans and painters contributed the masterwork that is Sanctuary and the result is simply awe inspiring. Despite all this, it does not function like a temple, but, like the rest, it is simply a headquarters for this aspect of the Chamber on the inside. It is said that while it is not devoted to anyone in particular, a prominent gnome might have made a shrine to The Everlight in one of the rooms below the main building. No one has been able to substantiate this rumor, but, because she is very alive and very able to kick anyones ass, it is doubtful anything would be done about it even if it were found. The Ingenuity District The last district on the list and the eastern most district of Sun Spire is accessed by Sophist's Place and the road ends in the headquarters for the district, Outlook. The responsibilities of the Sophist are to oversee and encourage infrastructure and innovation, respectively. While the Steward maintains the rail system that powers Whitespires, everything else related to weave has passed through this district at some point. In fact, this aspect of the Chamber is responsible for the very creation of weave. They still take their responsibility of infrastructure seriously and most of the buildings that are not outlook or housing in this district are devoted to this aspect of their responsibility. In fact, it was these brave souls that initially proposed the idea of the first floating city since the Age of Arcanum. However, there are still many labs scattered throughout the district and the brightest minds of this generation tinker in the halls of the tower known as Outlook. Basically a huge R&D department with no limits and ridiculous funding, this headquarters is the least organized and most focused on individual freedoms, individual processes, and collaborative brainstorming of ideas. A true haven for wizards and tinkerers that have made countless inventions that seem commonplace now. Outlook, much like The Lodge, overlooks the edge of Sun Spire inspiring its occupants to reach for the stars and believe in the unimaginable. Dedication Square This is an unofficial district though definitely the size or even bigger than some of the other districts. However, no one lives here and no official business is conducted here. It is in fact mostly a huge memorial. The ground here is made of marble and stays magically clean at all times. At the center lies Pelor's Sun Tree surrounded by cherry trees and a small garden. At it's foremost point, lies Percival's Clock Tower, that, in of itself, was a monument to his friends and their accomplishments. It also turned his skills towards creation and not destruction, which has become such an integral part of what it means to be Whitespirian that few realize this is where it started. Lastly every road begins or ends here (depending on your perspective). You simply cannot travel regularly throughout this spire without being reminded what it cost to get Whitespires where it is today. Despite the somberness of this area, it is occasionally the source of some ridicule because the district is triangular and yet is called Dedication Square. The name comes from an earlier incarnation when Whitestone made a memorial square around the Sun Tree to commemorate their dead. Despite attempts to get another name to stick, the triangular district dedicated to remembrance remains named Dedication Square. The first aspect of the memorial that makes up Dedication square is the fact that their are 9 statues or bases for statues to be built at a later point. Currently four of the bases are occupied. They are approximately 15ft high statues of the deceased members of Vox Machina, Grog Strongjaw, Vax'ildan, Taryon Darrington, and Percival Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III. Each statue comes with a sizable plaque outlining their accomplishments, a comment from surviving Vox machine members, and ends with a memorable quote from them to inspire others. The five empty bases are waiting to commemorate the still living members when they pass. The bases are evenly distributed amongst the cherry trees and memorial walls that surround the large triangle area. The second aspect of the memorial is called the Walk of Remembrance. Lining the large marbled area are onyx black walls with gold lettering. On the walls are every member of the city dating back to its revolution against the Briarwoods that fought and died for Whitestone, Whitespires, or The Alliance. Also included on the walls is anyone who died fighting for or standing up Whitestone or Whitespires and were not a member of the city. Lastly, notable members that contributed to the peace and safety of the city in times of trouble or hardship are included as well. Included with their name is a list of accomplishments, cause of death, any quote they may have had to encapsulate who they were or what they did. It is a great honor, many Whitespirians believe the greatest, to have your name added to the list of heroes that adorn these walls. Many pilgrimages are made to see this wall and to spend an afternoon or a day remembering the fallen. While not an official district, this is a defining aspect of the spire and serves to keep the leaders of this great city and alliance of city states humble. It also serves to remind them the small beginnings of their now great city and how far they have come. It demonstrates that they do stand on the shoulders of giants, but to make the most of the sacrifices of those who came before and to leave Exandria a better place than they found it. It is a complex and layered aspect of the central nervous system to both a city and a nation, but an indispensable one as Whitespires continues to rush headlong into the unknown.